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Chuck Versus the Three Words
|next= }} Chuck Versus the Three Words is the second episode of the third season, which aired on January 10, 2010. It is the thirty-seventh episode overall, and was the second half of a double bill. Synopsis With Carina (Mini Anden) back in town, Chuck flashes on her fiancé, Karl Stromberg (Vinnie Jones), identifying him as an arms dealer. Chuck is assigned to a new mission with Sarah, Carina and Casey, but his emotions get in the way. Meanwhile, Big Mike is back to manage the store, and Morgan falls hard for Carina - then turns her down. Full Plot Main Story The initial scene portrays a worried-looking man sprinting through a jungle, whilst holding a briefcase. Clearly on the run, the man trips and is intercepted by a large man with a scar on his face, along with a few goons. The scarred man then shoots the man and takes the briefcase. His phone rings, and he answers with the words "I love you, Smooshie", which is a source of much amusement for the other men. The scarred man glares at them, signalling them to stop, and he shoots the injured man in the head. Cutting to California, Sarah is seen in a club with her "best friend" Carina of the DEA (previously seen in season 1). Carina, who left when Chuck and Sarah began to grow close to one another, presses Sarah about her relationship with Chuck, which Sarah is cold about due to the situation in Prague. However, Carina sees through Sarah's ruse, and realizes that she has fallen for Chuck, breaking the "cardinal rule" of spying, which Sarah quickly denies. Chuck and Morgan are seen in their new apartment playing video games, and Chuck is clearly upset about the situation with Sarah. In an attempt to remedy this, Morgan suggests they go out clubbing to find Chuck a new lady. Chuck is initially apprehensive, but Morgan assures him nothing is set in stone, and the two head to the same club as Carina and Sarah, by coincidence. Morgan, who fell in love with Carina in season 1, pressures Chuck into approaching the pair and talking to Carina for him. Sarah spots Chuck, and Chuck approaches and greets Carina, much to Sarah's dismay. Just at that moment, the large, scarred man from the opening scene enters the club, and immediately approaches Carina, who introduces him as her fiancee - Karl Stromberg. Chuck flashes on Stromberg's scar, and realizes he is an arms dealer. Believing Carina's relationship with him to be real, he attempts to warn Carina, who explains that she knows and that he is the teams next assignment. Cut to Castle, where Beckman briefs Chuck, Sarah, Carina and Casey on the situation. She explains that Carina is undercover as his fiancee as an attempt to get close to him, because he has been wired a substantial amount of money in exchange for a weapon in his possession (the same weapon retrieved in the opening scene). She tasks the team with retrieving the weapon at Carina and Stromberg's engagement party, and suggests that Chuck and Sarah pose as a couple. Carina suggests that Casey should pose as her father, which Casey objects to, suggesting her brother would fit his age more appropriately. Beckman compromises, and instructs him to pose as Carina's uncle at the party, which Casey interprets as Dad's much younger brother. Chuck and Sarah arrive at the party, and Chuck attempts to talk to Sarah about abandoning her in Prague. Sarah coldly refuses to talk about it, instead moving away. Carina quickly intercepts Chuck and warns him to get it together, and that Sarah is only being so cold because she has fallen for him. Chuck is clearly in disbelief, but accepts Carina's analysis. Just then, Stromberg begins a toast for his engagement to Carina, which provides an opportunity for Chuck and Sarah to leave the main hall and head for the vault which contains the briefcase with the weapon inside it. Chuck, clearly confused by what Carina has told him, again attempts to talk to Sarah about their situation, which slows their progress, resulting in Carina calling Casey, or "Uncle John" up to make a toast to buy time. Sarah and Chuck reach the vault, and Sarah promises Chuck they can talk about it once the mission is over. Chuck seems contented, and Sarah breaks open the vault, revealing a hall of moving red lasers protecting the briefcase which is on a podium at the back of the room. Chuck panics, but Sarah successfully calms him down, allowing him to flash on vault and learn the advanced gymnastics necessary to navigate through the laser grid. He then proceeds to work his way through the lasers, much to the amazement of Sarah, before grabbing the briefcase at the back and sliding it out the door, but he triggers an alarm just as he is about to leave, locking him inside the vault. Toxic gas is pumped into the vault. Stromberg sends two goons to investigate the break in at the vault, as Sarah tries to pick the lock to the vault to free Chuck. It does not work, so she enters a ventilation shaft above to turn off the toxic gas and save Chuck. Chuck, not knowing what Sarah is up to and believing he is about to die, spills his feelings out and confesses his attraction to Sarah at the guards on the other side of the door, who are unaware Sarah is in the ventilation shaft above them. Sarah successfully shuts off the gas, and drops her lipstick through the shaft to distract the guards as they enter the key code to unlock the vault. As the guards look down at it, she jumps down and ambushes them, quickly dispatching them and pressing the enter key on the vault, unlocking the door. Chuck collapses into Sarah's arms and finishes his speech with the words "I love you." Sarah and Carina are debriefed at Castle, with Chuck lying on a stretcher in the room next door undergoing treatment for gas inhalation. Chuck wakes up without Sarah knowing, and listens in. Sarah, possibly still upset about Prague, requests a reassignment, claiming Chuck's feelings for her could be a liability. Strangely, Beckman denies her request and decides that she should continue to mentor Chuck. Chuck notices that Sarah is hurt, and gets up. Sarah realizes he has been listening in, but remains cold, and tells him it is time to begin his training. In another room, Sarah begins training with Chuck, allowing her anger at him to get the better of her. She begins to assault him with a wooden staff, and goads him to fight back by flashing, to which Chuck refuses. Sarah, angry at this, knocks Chuck to the ground, and demands to know why. Chuck says he doesn't want to hurt her, but Sarah knocks him to the ground and resolutely states that he can't. Cut to the Buy More parking lot, and Carina is walking over to her car. She spots Stromberg arriving in a blacked out SUV, and flees as it is revealed that Stromberg suspects Carina's involvement in the stealing of the weapon, and has come to hunt her down. Carina ends up entering the store in an attempt to lose Stromberg, and Morgan believes she has come for him. Instead, Carina hands him the briefcase containing the weapon in desperation, telling him to give it to Chuck as soon as he sees him. Morgan, with no idea of the gravity of the situation, nevertheless agrees on condition that she attend Chuck and Morgan's housewarming party, but is still hurt and believes she is only interested in talking to Chuck, much to the other Buy More staff's amusement. Carina agrees to attend, but is captured by Stromberg, who plays her a recording of the CCTV footage from inside the vault. It shows Chuck, believing his death is near, revealing his feelings for Sarah and unintentionally blowing Carina's cover. Stromberg then forces her to visit Chuck's apartment with him, to find the weapon. Casey, Sarah and Chuck soon discover that Carina is missing, and convene at Casey's apartment to discuss the situation whilst Morgan hosts the housewarming party in the courtyard. Stromberg arrives at the party with his goons and Carina, and breaks into Chuck's apartment to find the weapon. Morgan has no idea what is going on, and believes that Carina brought her boyfriend to flaunt in front of his face. Angrily, he follows the group into Chuck's apartment and phones Chuck to tell him that Carina came to the party. Chuck, Sarah and Casey, realizing she is nearby, hurry out of Casey's apartment. Morgan, furious at Carina, inadvertently hands over the briefcase to Stromberg, which he had hidden inside the coffee table. Casey notes how many lives are at stake if the party continues, and so poses as an angry neighbor, fed up of the noise from the party. Using a hose, he soaks the party goers, who soon evacuate the courtyard. Whilst this happens, Chuck and Sarah prepare to assault Stromberg's men, Sarah with guns and Chuck with a tiki lantern. When the men enter the courtyard, a standoff situation occurs as the guards draw their guns. Chuck persuades Sarah and Casey to drop their weapons, then throws the tiki lantern into the central fountain, which had been filled with "Jail Juice", a highly flammable alcoholic substance concocted by Jeff. An explosion occurs, causing enough of a distraction for Casey and Sarah to take out Stromberg's men. However, Stromberg still has Carina and the weapon. Chuck attempts to reason with Stromberg, relating his situation with Sarah to Stromberg's and Carina's. He claims to understand Stromberg's situation, and Carina backs this up by playing on Stromberg's love of her and explaining that although it was at first just an assignment, she had fallen for him. Stromberg believes this, letting his guard down, and allowing Carina to quickly dispatch him. Later at Casey's apartment, Chuck eyes up the briefcase with interest, and almost opens it before Beckman interrupts his attempt via video call. Chuck offers to try and flash on it and learn any new information it might hold, but Beckman shuts his offer down, claiming she has sent a team to retrieve it, before ending the video call. Cut to Beckman's office, where she pleads with an unknown man to allow her to inform the team of the full situation due to some kind of unknown danger. The man, whom she identifies only as Shaw, leaves without answering. Buy More and Housewarming Party Morgan fails to make any kind of impression on any women at the club with Chuck at the start of the episode, but then buffs his ego at the Buy More the next day. He tells Jeff and Lester that his "ex-girlfriend" Carina is in Burbank and describes her as a "hot Swede". Jeff and Lester remain unconvinced of her affiliations with Morgan, but instead agree to help him to recuperate his relationship with her by holding a house warming party for Chuck and himself, inviting Carina and his Buy More co-workers. Morgan agrees, believing it could be his chance to get with Carina, who he is in love with. As part of the plan, when Chuck is getting ready to go out with Sarah and Carina (in reality, he is attending Carina's fake engagement party), Morgan hides Chuck's keys and forces Chuck to give Carina the housewarming party invitation, which Chuck hastily accepts. Later, back at the Buy More, Morgan, desperate to romance with Carina after Chuck forgets to give Carina the invite (much to Jeff and Lester's amusement), goes to Big Mike for advice on winning her over. He is upset that he cares so much about her, and yet she cannot even remember his name (she frequently addresses him as "Martin", including when she hands him the briefcase at the Buy More). Big Mike advises Morgan, telling him to not give up hope and to keep trying, which Morgan accepts. Coincidentally, soon after Carina rushes into the Buy More after being pursued by Stromberg and his goons, and bumps into Morgan. In desperation, she hands him the briefcase containing the weapon, which Morgan agrees to deliver to Chuck on condition she attends the housewarming party. She agrees, and leaves, only to be apprehended by Stromberg and his men. At the party later on, Morgan, Jeff and Lester begin to enjoy their party. Carina arrives with Stromberg and his goons, as Stromberg is after the weapon stashed in Chuck's apartment. Jeff and Lester, however, believes that she brought Stromberg and the men to insult Morgan and hurt his feelings, and follow the men and Carina into the apartment, conspiring to incapacitate Carina's "date" by getting him and his men drunk on Jeff's highly alcoholic "Jail Juice". The two men stand up to Stromberg, challenging him to a drinking contest, before filling two cups with the Jail Juice. Carina covertly spikes the drinks for Stromberg and his men, but they decline to take part. Lester drinks from one of the spiked cups, and immediately collapses the ground. Jeff explains that Lester has a low alcohol tolerance and takes a drink himself, but then he too collapses to the ground. Stromberg realizes that Carina had tried to drug him, only angering him further. Morgan then enters after having alerted Chuck to Carina's presence at the party. He angrily confronts Carina, citing how badly she has treated him, and not grasping who Stromberg and his men really are. He then starts on Stromberg, who moves to kill Morgan, but Carina saves his life by reminding Stromberg that they cannot deal with a body at this moment in time. She tries to get Morgan to leave, but he refuses, telling her that her beauty doesn't give her the right to treat people so badly. After demanding she leave the apartment to no avail, he drinks the spiked Jail Juice and passes out himself. Carina is surprised by the fact that he basically refused her, claiming that no one has refused her before. At the end of the episode, a swooping shot reveals Carina slept with Morgan, and she seduces him, saying that his refusal of her was sexy. He quizzes her about his performance and she states that he wasn't the best she'd ever had, but she'd had very few better. Chuck & Sarah Constantly during the episode, Carina interrogates Sarah on her feelings for Chuck. She correctly recognizes Sarah's held in feelings for Chuck, even confronting Sarah with this. Though Sarah denies it, Carina is never truly convinced. When she is getting ready for the engagement party with Sarah, she spots the charm bracelet Chuck gave Sarah as a present, and suggests it might be a nice thing to wear. Sarah however, still hurt by Chuck refusing her offer to run away together, calls it cheap. Carina, sensing Sarah's emotional state, suggests that it might be nice for her and Sarah to go on holiday together once the mission is over. Sarah says she'll think about it, and leaves Carina uncertain as to whether she will stay with Chuck or leave with her until the end of the episode. After the housewarming party, Sarah helps Chuck clean up when Morgan refuses, and the pair finally begin to talk after Chuck's failed attempt from inside the vault. Chuck does not, however, realize that Sarah heard little or none of his speech from inside the vault, other than the end when he simply states "I love you." Through metaphor, the pair agree to sort out their issues at a later date. Carina then approaches Sarah back at Castle regarding her offer of a holiday. Sarah politely declines, which shows she is finally beginning to forgive Chuck. Carina says farewell, before handing Sarah a memory stick. When Sarah asks what it is, Carina tells her to take a look, then quietly leaves. Sarah plugs it into the computer and opens the file, which is an excerpt of CCTV footage from inside the vault. It is Chuck's frantic explanation of his feelings for Sarah when he thought he might die, something Sarah did not hear at the time as she was up in the ventilation shaft. She wells up as she learns that Chuck only turned down her offer to run away together because she had previously encouraged him to be a spy herself, and because he felt it was the only way to protect his family, friends and Sarah. Essentially, he became a spy because he loved her. Guest Stars * Bonita Friedericy as General Diane Beckman * Mini Anden as Carina Miller * Vinnie Jones as Karl Stromberg Trivia * At the end of the episode, as Carina and Sarah make their goodbyes, Carina says "jag kommer att sakna dig, kompis", which is Swedish for "I'll miss you, mate". Sarah replies in Polish, "Stęsknię się za tobą też", "I'll miss you, too.". * The addendum to Stromberg's toast "and may our first child be a masculine child" might be a nod to Luca Brasi's similar line in The Godfather. * Morgan describes Carina to his co-workers as a "Swedish supermodel," referencing the real-life profession of Mini Anden. Quotes Chuck: And the decision I made in Prague. I know what it looks like, I know that it looks like I chose being a spy over-over being with you. But that's not what happened. How I felt about you was real. Very, very real. And I know that you know how I felt about you for a long time, you know. But when Carina told me what you said, those three words that I waited to hear for so long. Look Sarah, I know. You were probably very hurt. Probably hurt that I didn't run away with you in Prague... Sarah, I love you. Music * Maino – “Here Comes Trouble” * David Guetta Ft. Akon – “Sexy Bitch” * David Lee Roth – “Just Like Paradise” * In-Flight Safety – “Model Homes” Category:Season 3 Television Series Episodes